Although best known for the children's books she wrote and illustrated, Beatrix Potter was a Victorian English woman of many accomplishments. These online resources will introduce you to Beatrix Potter the farmer and sheep breeder, and Beatrix Potter the amateur scientist, as well as to Beatrix Potter the author and illustrator of the classic picture book The Tale of Peter Rabbit and numerous other tales for children. You will also learn about exhibitions, attractions, and locations associated with Potter, whose The Tale of Peter Rabbit was published by Frederick Warne in 1902.
On this site, you will find some of Beatrix Potter's childhood sketches, copies of several of her picture letters to children, some of her watercolor landscape sketches, her biography and more. This is the official Potter Web site from Frederick Warne and Co, Beatrix Potter's UK publisher.
After visiting this site, I found myself wanting to make reservations for a trip to England to visit this London museum. According to its Web site, "The V&A holds the world's largest collection of Potter's drawings, literary manuscripts, correspondence, photographs and related materials, and hosts a changing display on particular aspects of her work in the Beatrix Potter Showcase."
This excellent detailed biography of Helen Beatrix Potter, which includes several illustrations, is part of The Elizabeth Nesbitt Room
Illustrators Project at the University of Pittsburgh.
The Kids' Corner site features the stories of Beatrix Potter: the text and illustrations of nine of her stories in English and seven in Japanese, including
The Tale of Peter Rabbit; audio versions of several of her stories in English, French, German, and/or Japanese; and an audio interview with Beatrix Potter biographer Judy Taylor; and an audio slide show version of
The Tale of Peter Rabbit.
Here is a look at Beatrix Potter from a different perspective than that of author of children's stories. This article provides detailed information about Beatrix Potter's scientific studies. According to the article, "In the late 1800s, fungi were the passion of a young woman by the name of Beatrix Potter. Living in England, she wasn't formally trained as a scientist, but learned mycology working as a scientific illustrator."
This detailed article about Beatrix Potter comes from the Literary Traveler and emphasizes her accomplishments as a "botanical illustrator, a sheep breeder and farmer, a wife, and a conservationist," as well as her role as the author and illustrator of
The Tale of Peter Rabbit and many other popular books for children.
The Society "was founded in 1980 by a group of people professionally involved in the curatorship of Beatrix Potter material." It includes some of Potter's artwork, information on publications and on Society sponsored events. The Society, which is based in the UK, has members in the UK, USA and France.
Here's another interesting detailed biography of Beatrix Potter, which includes a photograph of her as a young woman, as well as a number of her illustrations. It also includes the sources of the biographical information.
See photographs of her farms and environs and learn about Beatrix Potter's life as a landowner and sheep farmer in Cumbria, the Lake District, England.
Learn about the settings for a number of Beatrix Potter's stories, including
The Tale of Tom Kitten and
The Tale of Samuel Whiskers, and get a brief overview of what you'd be able to see and do if you visited Beatrix Potter's beloved Lake District. It includes The World of Beatrix Potter Attraction, the National Trust’s Beatrix Potter Gallery, Hill Top farm, beautiful scenery, lakes, and more.
